The Branch

Marriage on Mission When I was in college, I had two ideas of where my life was headed: I was going to go to seminary and become a missionary to teach people about Jesus in some far off country, and I was going to be married to someone I loved and adored, become a dad and grow a family. At…

I’m a father of three daughters. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked if I’m afraid to raise three girls; I suppose the sentiment is really attached to raising three teenage girls since my daughters (who are 3, 2, and 2 months old) all generally sit still, read books, and don’t break things like their male counterparts….

Define the Relationship Odds are, most of us will find ourselves in a dating relationship at some point in our lives. As much as that may sound exciting (or terrifying) to us, the reality is how you enter into a relationship is just as, if not more, important as how you actually work out that relationship. This is where so,…

Guard Your Heart It’s amazing how much romance dominates our collective psyches: from holidays to movies, music, clothing… just about everything, every aspect of our culture obsesses about the idea that people fall in love and live happily ever after. It’s powerful, potent stuff, and it’s hard not to let your heart get swept up in it. I remember it…

UPDATE 2/12/2017: Hey guys! Our Valentine’s Day event is now full! Unfortunately our space limits us to a certain number of families, but I’m excited for the future when we can have more opportunities like this. Keep an eye out, and if you have any suggestions, just let us know! I still remember my first Valentine’s Day date with…

This morning, I was attending a Bible study down in East Austin, listening to the discussion about a passage in the book of John. John 9, the healing of man born blind. The story is a familiar one for many of us: Jesus and his disciples were walking through town when they encountered a man who was blind from birth….

Checking In at the Doctor’s Office Before I became a pastor, I actually worked in the healthcare industry. I was an administrator for a private pediatrics practice in Houston for four years while I studied at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was affectionately called the Office Monkey, since my job really had me doing everything and anything the practice needed. One…

The Two Most Important Questions You Need to Answer READ: Joshua 24:14-15 Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Do you remember your senior year?…

Decision Making READ: Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. (Special thanks have to go to Ben Stuart and Breakaway Ministries here. As a college student, the talk Decision Making and the Will of God was extremely formative for me, and these points borrow HEAVILY from that talk. To learn more, check out their…

READ: II Timothy 3:16 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Yes he did… at least you believe he did. But WHYÂ do you believe what you believe? Why do you believe that George Washington was the first president of the U.S.,…